The Beatles Got the Beats....Sometimes

So I'm sitting here thinking what I should do my last blog on and I decided I'm not sure I want to do it on The House of the Spirits....its kinda weird so not sure what I'd say about it.  Therefore I made a decision to do it on one of the most iconic bands in the history of music...The Beatles.  I dedicate this blog to my high school English teacher who made me listen to their music everyday in homeroom while I was trying to study.

I'll admit I despised The Beatles before having my Beatle-loving English teacher my Junior year of high school.  By the end of the year I actually enjoyed many of their songs but I feel like I either love their songs or I hate them and I'm not sure why.  There is no in between with them for some reason in my opinion.

Regardless of what I think, The Beatles were an "international phenomenon" as the text states and there is no doubting that.  Their music is recognizable all across this planet!  They combine the styles of the likes of Elvis Presley and Little Richard and made the electric guitar a symbol of rock music.

What makes me enjoy some of their songs so much is their originality and uniqueness.  Many of the songs at that time seemed to have one speed throughout the song.  The Beatles used splicing so that they could change speeds of the song without altering their pitch which was revolutionary at the time.  They also used their instrumentation to perfection whether it be the electric guitar, drum sets, tambourine,  or any other unique instruments that they would use for effects in specific songs.  Below is a video of their song "Twist and Shout" which most of you will recognize.  I love it because there are no other songs that are like it.  It sounds like a back and forth hard rocker and harmonious duet with a very lively rhythm which captures the essence of the 60s.  "A Hard Day's Night", "Help", and "Ticket to Ride" are some other works that are upbeat and overall great songs.

Like I already mentioned though, they still have a few that I just can't stand.  The pattern I notice in the songs that I don't enjoy is that they're slow and monotonous.  When I think of The Beatles, I think of fast-moving, lively beats not slow rhythms...they were able to pull off a couple slower songs though but they had enough changes in rhythm to keep it interesting ie, "Hey Jude".  Just an example of a song that is repulsing to me is "All You Need is Love" (shown below in video).  Its just too slow and all I here after I listen to it is "Love, Love, Love" in this annoying voice ringing through my head.  Also, I feel that Lennon is fighting to get all the words into each stanza...its just not smooth.

Overall though, The Beatles have some very solid music that I really do enjoy listening to but I feel that some of their songs were a complete waste of time...just a humble opinion though out of billions.

Is it Louvre or Love?

I've never really been a big fan of art, especially the art that is brought out in most of our text but when it comes to architecture, I'm easy to please.  That's the case again with Figure 37.22 in our text....the courtyard of the Louvre Museum in Paris designed by I.M. Pei (shown below).

I've seen an image similar in resemblance to this one countless times but there were two things that stood out to me when I viewed it in the text: 1) there are four triangles total...not one and 2) there are fountains surrounding the main triangle/entrance.  So I guess you could say I've always loved this piece of architecture by Pei but now I have an even greater appreciation now that I know there's even more to it!

This work is postmodern in description and very futuristic and I like that.  Many people criticize it for contrasting the classical part of the museum surrounding it but that's what I.M. Pei was going for...contrast.  He wanted to do something bold that was out of the ordinary that maybe seemed out of place but ultimately complimented the surroundings.  I believe he found the perfect work of art to do just that.  The Louvre Museum holds many of the great art renderings in the world and Pei captured the essence of that history by building something that pointed back to one of the greatest architectural feats of all time...the pyramids of Egypt.  So in that historical sense, I believe he captured the essence of the museum itself.

The works that helped influence Pei's design aren't too shabby either....Paxton's Crystal Palace followed by Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome.

Here's just a short little video to give an idea of how Pei's addition to the Louvre Museum contrasts yet compliments the original part of the building.

Pop Sensation

When I first saw figure 37.5 on page 137, I thought to myself: 1)why in the world would you want that in the middle of your city then 2) why wouldn't you want that in the middle of your city and finally 3) how did I not see that monstrosity when I was in Philadelphia?  The image I'm speaking of is shown below as well as the man who created it, Claes Oldenburg.

Claes Oldenburg is a Swedish sculptor with a sweet twist to his work.  He takes ordinary, everyday things and turns them into pieces of art by magnifying them normally ten to twenty times their original size.  Its known as pop art.  Almost all of his works seem out of place but surprisingly enough, most of them look very neat in their unusual settings in my opinion including Clothespin.

I'm not a big modern art fan but whenever its in the city, I really do enjoy it because it actually feels like it belongs there.  That's what draws me to this enormous clothespin in the middle of Philadelphia because its only something that would be valued in modern times and therefore has a modern feel to it.  I feel that's why I think it looks neat in the middle of the city square when a giant clothespin doesn't really belong in the middle of a city square.

Also, I appreciate its size so much.  It is 45 feet tall and over 12 feet wide!  A normal clothespin isn't even a half of a foot.  I mean c'mon! A clothespin is just its everyday, normal size we don't even give it a second glance but when its magnified a little bit, it catches our attention instantaneously.  That's what I love about this piece so much...taking something normal and turning it into something pleasing to the eye.

Other examples of his work are shown below...

Lastly, I love the detail.  Clothespin looks like its actually made out of wood like your average clothespin but instead its made of stainless steel.  Just the time and effort it took to make the steel have the appearance of stained wood with grain lines is something to be admired and appreciated in my opinion.